Free Accommodation on Holiday

Guest Author - Dianne Thomas

Staying for Free in Someone’s Home

There are a variety of websites to choose from out there when it comes to staying in someone’s home for free, and the popularity of these options have grown considerably over the years. The idea of these websites is for hosts to offer people to stay in their home, from anything from one night to a few nights, but with no money being exchanged.

You can stay with people from all over the world but you have to register with the sites in order to participate. You can read people’s profile’s and from there you can get an idea of what type of person they are and if you think you’d get on with them.

One of the greatest advantages of staying with a host is that you’re able to see and travel like a local and, from my own experience, the people I have stayed with have often gone out of their way to show me around. They’ve been very helpful in telling me what’s good to see and best to avoid in a town or city, from local bars and restaurants to the free days for museums or galleries, and the lesser known attractions that aren’t always found in a guide book.

You can travel from one person’s home to another throughout an entire area – without paying the costs of a hotel or hostel. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to use this service abroad but travelling just an hour or two away from your home can broaden your travels and learn something more about your country or state.

As with all travelling, it always pays to travel safe so the first thing I do is to check the references very carefully; people who have stayed with them before add comments about their host. Make sure you have email contact with them to help you get an idea of what kind of people you’re staying with before you leave home.

Traveling with children or animals can sometimes limit your options as not everyone accepts children/animals in their homes but people are out there with children/animals themselves, so find the right person and you can all be having a free bed for a night or two, including your kids or your pet.

Staying in someone’s home will not suit everyone’s idea of free accommodation but it is a practical way of keeping your costs down whilst travelling. If you do like the sound of it, you can try out being the host and have people to stay in your home which is another great way to meet all sorts of different people, but without even leaving your home!